Dr. Wick served on the faculty in the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology from 1988-2005. He joined the faculty at UAB in July 2005 as chair of the Biomedical Engineering Department.

Research Interest

Dr. Wick’s research interests are in development of bioreactors and bioprocesses for tissue engineering and development of flow systems to characterize blood cell adhesion to endothelial cells and biomaterials. In tissue engineering, his expertise ranges from fundamental studies of tissue development to bioprocessing for large-scale tissue production. Tissues are complex three-dimensional structures that perform multiple metabolic and mechanical functions. Proper tissue function in vivo requires that tissue architecture and differentiated function be replicated prior to implantation. As tissue engineering transitions from bench scale research to large scale production of tissue for human therapy, bioreactor technology and bioprocess engineering principles are necessary to facilitate large-scale, aseptic growth of functional tissues to meet patient demand. His research group has developed novel bioreactors that deliver well-defined spatial and temporal nutrient transport and mechanical loading to produce tissues with correct biochemical and mechanical characteristics for human implantation, focusing on cartilage and arteries as model tissues. A long-term goal of his research is integration of bioreactor expertise with bioprocessing technology to facilitate development of large-scale manufacture processes for tissue production. For cell adhesion studies his group has developed sophisticated systems to identify receptors and ligands that promote blood cell adherence to endothelial cells under physiological flow conditions. This information coupled with quantitative measures of adhesion dynamics and biophysics provides understanding of how blood cell adhesion disrupts tissue blood flow in sickle cell anemia and other diseases. His research has identified compounds that block adhesion and could lead to new patient therapies.

Current Research

Current research interests include development of novel bioreactors to produce tissues with the correct biochemical and mechanical characteristics for human implantation, focusing on cartilage and arteries as model tissues. Our studies have identified mechanical loading, oxygen tension, steroid hormones, and matrix composition as key factors that control tissue growth and maturation. Our combined experimental and numerical approach to development of tissue engineered constructs and enabling bioreactor technologies will result in industrial bioprocesses to engineer human tissue in a reproducible manner on an industrially relevant scale.

2. Williams, K.A., S. Saini and T.M. Wick, “Computational Investigation of Steady-State Momentum and Mass Transfer in a Bioreactor for the Production of Tissue-Engineered Cartilage”, Biotechnology Progress18:951-963 (2002).

3. Montes, R.A.O., J.R. Eckman, L.L. Hsu, and T.M. Wick, “Abnormal Adherence of Sickle Erythrocytes to Endothelium at Low Shear: The Role of Erythrostasis in Propagating Vaso-Occlusion”, American Journal of Hematology, 70:216-227 (2002).